VIVAHA SAMSKAARA AND VEDIC ASTROLOGY
- Prof. K. Jaya Sekhar (courtesy http://www.astrolife.com)

"Why do different astrologers not come to the same conclusion when the same horoscopes are given to them for compatibility?"

"Why does a marriage fail even though astrologers say that the horoscopes fully agree?"

These are the two most frequently asked questions by the public regarding astrological comparison of horoscopes for marriage. The first question is simpler to answer. No one has ever taken care to define, streamline the procedure and establish a format for matching of two horoscopes for compatibility. Each astrologer has his own format, his own priorities, his personal prejudices, likes and dislikes which creep into the judgment. No wonder astrologers differ in their conclusions. The need of the hour is for the evolution of a common format and procedure for assessing compatibility. In all other professions where scientific procedures are used there are such formats and strict guidelines of procedures to be followed by all. Until astrologers do this their claims favoring astrology as a science sounds shallow.

The second question is more difficult to answer. There are three factors involved in the game of astrological match making; the Client, the Astrologer and the subject of Astrology itself. A few decades ago parents wanted their children to be married in the same caste and in the same social status. They were keen that the groom or bride they choose was healthy in mind, body and habits. The boy's parents expected the bride to bring prosperity to their family, look after the in-laws, beget children, be serving, loving and loyal to her husband. The bride's parents expected the groom to provide a comfortable life, protect and take care of their daughter and help her be useful to the family of her in laws. Astrological rules were hence framed keeping these expectations in mind.

Today, however, the picture is different. While the caste system remains, in today's materialistic society, every proposition has a monetary motive and marriage is no exception. The father of the bride no doubt dreams of a son-in-law employed preferably in USA, drawing a hundred thousand dollars. Parents often choose partners for their children on the basis of their social status, family values or Khandaan, their own ambitions and in some cases even just to "Keep up with the Jones's" through the marriage of their children. They presume this ensures a long happy married life for their children.

Often when the clients come to the astrologer they bring the horoscope of a person who fits into their scheme of things and give the astrologer enough information about the alliance, making it clear that they would be prepared to go ahead with the alliance with or without the agreement of the astrologer. If the astrologer does not agree, they would continue their efforts till one agreed. The best policy for the astrologer is thus to see "excellent agreement" to ensure "excellent payment." What thus happens to the marriage is any body's guess.

Moving on to the Astrologer who, being human, comes with his own preferences and prejudices, and applies his own yardsticks in reaching a conclusion. Some would swear that if there is Dina agreement it is sufficient to ensure a happy long married life, while others would believe that without Rajju agreement the marriage would not survive. Then there those who believe that by saying 'no' to a particular match, they are causing great pain to the consulting parents who are anxious to get their son or daughter married to the specific person. For these astrologers any two horoscopes would always have 50 % compatibility. Not to forget the cynic astrologer who believes a successful marriage does not exist, and hence there should be no reason to force the parents to run after different alliances. "There is 30 % agreement and that is good enough" he says. Surely a few years later the 70% disagreement proves the marriage to be bad enough.

Lastly we come to the subject of Astrology. To be honest, no ancient sage wrote a text book of Astrology. Text books are a modern concept. In ancient times a student learnt from the Guru through dialogue and discussions. The Guru carried everything in his brain, and imparted it to his disciples. If his brain was not capable of holding everything he was obviously not fit to be a Guru. Books were only aide memoirs- like notes of a teacher. Add to it the tendency to write in the form of slokas instead of simple prose which makes it possible to explained things in clear sentences. The result is that the exact meaning of what the Sages wanted to convey in the astrological rule is open to interpretation. Take for example the comparison of "Nadi" mentioned in the ancient texts dealing with matrimonial comparison. The author eloquently states which Nakshatras belongs to which Nadi, and which Nadis the bride and Groom should belong to make them a happy couple. But, at the same time, he is silent on the question of which "Nadi" he is talking about. Nadi means Channel in Sanskrit, and as an example, even the arteries are channels. An Ayurvedic doctor would examine the pulse to assess the constitution of a person, which is referred to as "Nadi Parreksha". There are Nadis of energy in the subtle body of a person and related to the Chakras as mentioned in Yoga Sastra. There are fourteen main Nadis mentioned. Which Nadi is the author referring to?

Regarding the subject of Astrology the next most important factor is to adopt, modify and apply the rules enunciated several thousand years ago to suit modern society. While the rules being scientific, do not change, their application changes as human society, mode of life and the values of life change. Archaic modes of application apparently lead to wrong counseling. What then is this modern approach? Taking a look at modern society, we find that the divorce rate in the west stands somewhere from 50% to 60%. That implies that in the West if you predict the marriage will end up in a divorce, you would have a 60% chance of accuracy. Indian divorce rate is trying to catch up fast and like India's economic growth index is racing to reach the Western standards.

The liberated women of today, are not just looking for "protection and economic support" from the life partner, they also look for "true companionship". Similarly, the prospective groom too, is not only in a search for a serving wife but also an earning wife. The clash is more along temperamental and emotional lines, often leading to a clash of egos. Style of living, aims and ambitions in life, attitude towards children and family are all issues that can lead to a break up.

Keeping this in mind, I have tried to develop a system, which divides the entire gamut of comparison into five petals. Petal one deals with a comparison of the position of Mars. This is the most important because in Astrology Mars is the planet of friction, fight, disharmony, quarrels, separation and break.

The second petal deals with a comparison of the Moon sign. Moon is the planet connected with the mind, the psychology, the motivations, fears and phobias, creativity, imagination and feelings. There has to be some harmony in these levels for the marriage to succeed. There are three divisions of comparison in this petal. They are Rasi, Rasi Lord and Vasya. The third petal is based on a comparison of the Nakshatras. The Zodiac is divided into 12 signs and 27 Nakshatra divisions. The position of Moon decides which Nakshatra one belongs. The Nakshatras are related to material, mental and spirituals factors of an individual. There are eight factors to be considered in this petal. They are called Vedha, Dina, Stree deerga, Mahendra, Yoni, Rajju, Nadi and Gana.

Petal four refers to Karma. All said and done it is Karma that influences our motivations and discriminations leading to a realization of our respective destinies. The intrinsic karmic content of the charts have to be compared.

The sixth Petal deals with the relative placement of planets in the zodiac in a harmonious way. The planetary cycles that the couples pass through after marriage are dealt with in Petal six. There should be some supplementary or complimentary periods. If both partners enter trying periods or periods of major changes at the same time it could prove to be a tsunami in their lives.

The study of all the factors covered in these six petals ensures, temperamental compatibility, psychological agreement, physical and material and spiritual concurrence, karmic equality, complimentary future cycles and planetary harmony in that order from petals one to six. It is the duty of the modern Astrologer to explain that every marriage has areas of convergence and areas of divergence. He can only tell in which set of horoscopes the areas of convergence are more than the divergence. Once the areas of divergence are known, it is up to the prospective couple, if they choose to get married, to work and limit the damage through any such divergences. The Astrologer makes no decision for them. He analyses the situation and places the facts before them. He does not decide for them, and they themselves have to make the final choice. The Vedic Astrologer, in the modern Vivaha Samskara serves as a felicitator presenting the diagnosis of the charts and not an autocrat telling them whom to marry.